Her Campus (HC): Introduce yourself! What is your name, major and how long have you been in the group?
Briney Rojas (BR): My name is Briney, I am studying International Affairs and I joined Yahtzee in Fall of 2020.
HC: You’re studying International Affairs? So, you don’t have to be enrolled in the College of Music to join the group?
BR: Nope! Anyone can join, no matter their major.
HC: So how did you first hear about All-Night Yahtzee and decide to get involved?
BR: Every year Yahtzee goes on a Christmas tour all over Florida and sometimes into Georgia, where we perform at high schools, churches, events, all kinds of venues. In my junior year of high school, they performed for my high school a cappella group and knowing I was interested in going to FSU, I always kept that in the back of my mind. So, when I got here last year, I knew I wanted to audition.
HC: Now that you’ve been in the group for a year, what does a regular rehearsal look like?
BR: We have rehearsal two to three times a week, each lasting at least two hours or more. We always start out socializing, since we’re all friends, before it’s time to get serious and work on the music. No two rehearsals are the same; some days we’re singing, other days we’re working on choreography or making a performance look clean and together. But we are always working towards our competitions and performances.
HC: What do you have coming up soon that you are working towards, and that we can look forward to?
BR: Our next performance will be at FSU’s Homecoming Live, then we will go on our Christmas tour, and next semester we will begin participating in competitions for the first time since the pandemic first began.
HC: What part of FSU does All-Night Yahtzee represent?
BR: We represent the artists on campus who have a passion for music performance and want to explore that in a fun way without the stress of academic pressure. We also represent the people of FSU; this is a safe space for anyone.
HC: So, is it all about the music or the community that music creates?
BR: It’s a balance of both, really. Of course, we prioritize the performances and the albums, but we also prioritize coming together and uplifting each other. We’ve created a family that allows us to love ourselves, gain confidence and explore our strengths as musicians.
HC: What opportunities have you gotten from the family of All-Night Yahtzee?
BR: I got many opportunities to perform for audiences of all different sizes, but I’ve gotten to do so many things I have never done before like getting in a recording studio, having photoshoots, making music videos and traveling with some of my best friends.
HC: What is your favorite memory from the group, one of those new experiences?
BR: It would probably be when we traveled to Tampa last year and we were shooting our music videos until three in the morning because we had to do them all in one day. And even though it was so much work, we were all finding ways to make it the most fun experience possible.
HC: What sets ‘Yahtzee apart from other a cappella groups? Not just at FSU, you guys seem to have an image that is unique to any other group that we’ve seen, but you do it in the most inviting way.
BR: We use our choreography, artistic choices and our looks to be a little more edgy and outgoing. We are definitely not afraid to try new things if we know it will look good.
HC: Are there any inspirations behind these choices?
BR: Recently, we’ve been finding inspiration in Chloe x Halle, Citizen Queen (another a cappella group we look up to) and different KPOP groups.
HC: And my last question for you is if someone is interested in joining All-Night Yahtzee, where can they find you?
BR: The best place to start would be our YouTube channel, where you can watch our music videos and performances, which is where I think we really stand out. And we are always posting on social media about fall auditions, and if we have a spot to fill, sometimes auditions in spring, so it’s important to look out for it. All of our social media is just ‘All-Night Yahtzee.’
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